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The Handbook: The Operations Podcast
Running a serviced based business, an agency or consultancy isn’t just about great client work. It’s about keeping everything behind the scenes running smoothly.
That’s where The Handbook comes in. Our goal? To help you take your business to the next level of business maturity.
This podcast is for operations and service-business leaders who are juggling it all – people, processes, finance, tech, and everything in between.
Every other week, we dive deep into a specific challenge that businesses face as they grow in headcount and complexity. You'll get practical insights and real-world advice from experts who’ve been there, solved the problems, and know what works.
If you’re looking for smarter ways to scale, streamline, and strengthen your business, you’re in the right place. Welcome to The Handbook community, your go-to guide for better business operations.
And don’t forget to sign up for The Handbook newsletter – we’ll send you the key takeaways from each episode straight to your inbox: scoro.com/podcast/#handbook
The Handbook: The Operations Podcast is brought to you by Scoro.
The Handbook: The Operations Podcast
Why Ops Is Really About Culture (Not Just Process) with Nicky Russell
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The work we produce gets all the attention.
But the real question is: what’s happening behind the scenes that makes that work possible?
In this episode of The Handbook, Harv sits down with creative operations expert Nicky Russell, co-founder of WDC, We Deliver Change, and chair of the Creative Operations Summit in London. Together they explore the discipline of creative ops – the systems, culture, and leadership required to help creative teams do their best work.
What starts as a conversation about creative teams quickly expands into something bigger: how operations leaders create the environment where great work can actually happen.
Here’s what we dive into:
- What creative operations actually is – and why it’s becoming a strategic role inside agencies, brands, and consultancies
- Why ops is fundamentally about culture – not just processes, workflows, and systems
- Why happiness and psychological safety matter more than most leaders realise when it comes to producing great work
- How creative ops and business ops are converging as technology and AI reshape how work gets done
- How learning to speak the language of different stakeholders is often the key to unlocking real influence.
Whether you work in a creative environment or not, the themes in this conversation will resonate with any ops leader trying to build a healthier, more effective organisation.
Additional Resources:
👉🏽 Follow Nicky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-russell-989a4719/
🌐 WDC London: https://wdc-london.com/
🌐 In-House Agency Leaders Club: https://www.ihalc.com/
🗓️ Henry Stewart Creative Ops Summit London, 19th March 2026: https://henrystewartconferences.com/creative-operations/
👨🏽 Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/
📈 Measure your business maturity and find out how to get to the next level: https://bit.ly/assess-business-maturity
📬 Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter: https://www.scoro.com/podcast/#handbook
➡️ This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system. Sign up for a free trial or a demo at https://scoro.com/demo – and for the VIP treatment, tell them Harv sent you.
